When D.L. Coburn’s Pulitzer Prize-winning show, The Gin Game, returned to the John Golden Theatre (where it first appeared in 1977), Masque Sound helped raise the stakes with a custom audio equipment package including a Yamaha console and Meyer Sound loudspeakers.
Starring two-time Tony Award-winner James Earl Jones and three-time Emmy- and Tony Award-winner Cicely Tyson, The Gin Game tells the story of Weller Martin and Fonsia Dorsey who meet on the porch of their nursing home and strike up a friendship, with Weller teaching Fonsia how to play gin rummy.
As they play, they share stories about the lives they led in the outside world. But when Fonsia wins every hand, Weller becomes increasingly frustrated, until their gin games and conversations become a battleground, with each player exposing the other’s failures, disappointments and insecurities.
As the entire play takes place on the porch of the home for the elderly, where the two characters live, sound designer David Van Tieghem’s goal was to create the world inside the house behind them, conveying the life and activity within.
“The sounds needed to weave seamlessly between background and foreground throughout,” says Van Tieghem. “As is usual with good theatrical sound design, it’s very important to support the play, but remain unobtrusive, not calling attention to the sound unless the script requires it. This play was no different in that respect. There needed to be careful attention to the detail, timing and location of every aural element and I was really happy that Masque Sound was able to provide me with the equipment I needed to bring my vision to the stage.”
At the heart of the custom audio equipment package, supplied by Masque Sound, was a Yamaha CL1 digital mixing console. Van Tieghem chose the Yamaha CL1 not only for its sonic purity but also due in part to its compact size, as the area available for the mixing position was relatively small.
For his loudspeaker selection Masque Sound provided Van Tieghem with a selection from Meyer Sound. The company’s UPJ-1P and UPA-1A speakers were his preference for the main proscenium array which, according to Van Tieghem, delivered the clear, natural sound necessary for the sonic environment that he was creating.
“It’s always a pleasure to work with Masque Sound on any production,” adds Van Tieghem. “They really go the extra mile to make sure we have everything we need to realize our artistic vision, and to ensure that each performance runs flawlessly. In addition, my A1 Brien Brannigan has done a wonderful job in ensuring the show sounds as great as it does.”